Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this module’s Main quest was still divided into stages. It seemed that the plot would unfold based on the actions of the player in each stage.

"This Main quest seems quite interesting. It feels like playing a galgame, where our actions determine the development of the plot. So, I have a bold guess now. We’ve gathered too much information in this module, which might not be a good thing. After all, although this staged Main quest appears to give players a lot of autonomy, it actually forces them to follow the predetermined plot of the module," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile.

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Ling Ishikawa was right. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, doing a regular Main quest was like playing an open-world game, allowing freedom of movement in a large area as long as the final goal was achieved. But doing these staged Main quests was akin to playing a linear RPG game, following a mission’s flow with time constraints in each stage.

Just like the current first stage of this Main quest. Although it seemed like there was time for investigation for several days, Liu Xing was certain that within two or three days, Chris would issue new requirements, forcing the Main quest into the second stage.

Zhang Jingxu nodded, speaking up, "Of course. Basically, all competitive modules’ Main quests are staged to ensure competitiveness among players and to prevent some players from slacking off or taking shortcuts."

Just then, Yis People’s phone rang.

Glancing at his phone, Yis People furrowed his brows and said, "It’s Chris. He probably has some new information he wants to share with us."

Yis People answered the call and activated the speakerphone. "Chris, is there something important you need from me right now?"

The voice on the other end, Chris, spoke solemnly, "The situation has changed. My informant just relayed a message. A tourist group from the United States of America, on their way back to the hotel, seems to have been coerced by two large trucks. They’ve changed their route and are heading out of the city. So, I suspect these two trucks are involved. I’ve already led a team of police officers to intercept. Liu Xing, bring your companions along. Make sure to wear bulletproof vests and carry handguns. If things go as expected, there might be a confrontation. We’ll stay in touch via walkie-talkies."

Yis People put down his phone and took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket, tuning it to the appropriate channel.

"Attention all colleagues on this channel. Suspects are holding a tourist group hostage and heading west out of town. To avoid alerting them, we won’t set up roadblocks at the city’s exits. All patrol cars will switch to unmarked vehicles for tracking."

Chris’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Liu Xing sighed, speaking up, "Let’s go. I didn’t expect to get to the main action so quickly, but I think this operation might end up being fruitless."

Ling Ishikawa nodded, smiling, "I think so too. After all, according to the typical plot of those cop films, the suspects appearing at the beginning are either a misunderstanding or imitators. It’s unlikely we’ll catch the real criminals. But regardless, we should still go and make our presence felt. After all, Chris calling us over this time is to assess our ability."

"Exactly. I can feel Chris doesn’t have much confidence in us. He probably reached out to me out of desperation. After all, he mentioned that apart from me, he doesn’t know anyone else with the ability to deal with mythical creatures," Yis People shrugged.

Hearing Yis People’s words, Liu Xing couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

Because from Liu Xing’s brief contact with Chris before, he knew that Chris probably didn’t know about the existence of mythical creatures. And in Fisher’s Village, Alice mentioned that apart from some high-level officials in some countries, people like Chris, a police chief in a place like this, were not on the same level. So, he shouldn’t have known about mythical creatures through official channels. At most, he might have known about some secret cults.

So, Liu Xing believed there were only two possibilities for Chris to know about mythical creatures now.

The first possibility was that the English authorities discovered that the recent disappearances of foreign tourists might be related to mythical creatures. And because these cases were scattered throughout England, they had no choice but to inform the police chiefs in various places, hence Chris, who didn’t know how to deal with mythical creatures, finding Yis People.

The second possibility was Isabella’s doing. After all, Liu Xing knew Isabella was not someone to be underestimated. So, Liu Xing suspected Isabella either had something to do with the recent disappearances of foreign tourists or wanted to cause trouble amidst these incidents. Therefore, out of some purpose, she informed Chris of the existence of mythical creatures, and even Chris calling Yis People to England, were all Isabella’s doings.

But regardless of which possibility it was, it wasn’t good news for Liu Xing’s group. After all, the former possibility indicated that the English authorities couldn’t handle these recent disappearances of foreign tourists, while the latter possibility suggested Isabella might stir up trouble behind the scenes.

On second thought, Alice should also appear in this module, right?

Liu Xing remembered that in Fisher’s Village, Alice said she would return to England after leaving Fisher’s Village. So, Alice should still be in England now, and Alice’s master was English, and even among all humans in the world, he was the foremost expert on mythical creatures.

So, someone like Alice’s master must be known to the English authorities. And after the recent disappearances of foreign tourists, the English authorities would definitely ask for his help in solving the case.

Therefore, Alice was very likely to appear in this module, and she should be on their side.

At this point, Liu Xing and his group had already equipped themselves with bulletproof vests and loaded their handguns, then they left the room together.

Of course, Yis People and Ling Ishikawa also briefed Juri Sonoda and Lu Tianya on the situation before going downstairs together.

In the hotel parking lot, Yis People pointed to a SUV that seemed to have been modified and said, "This is the vehicle Chris provided for transportation. It’s been heavily modified, with bulletproof glass and tires. Now, the question is, who will drive?"

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Because Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa’s main identities were students, and they hadn’t learned how to drive. As for Zhang Jingxu, the Taoist, he apparently hadn’t learned driving skills either.

So, Yis People slapped his forehead, somewhat helplessly saying, "Alright, it seems none of you can drive. Let me do it then. But my driving skills are just average. I can manage regular driving, but if we need to speed later, I hope you all are mentally prepared. Rolling over is quite likely."

Zhang Jingxu nodded, smiling awkwardly, "No problem, we trust you won’t flip the car."

After getting into the car, Ling Ishikawa contacted KP Li Shunchan, saying, "KP, I want to set this car as my safe point."

"OK, your safe point has been changed to this car," KP Li Shunchan replied with a smile.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhang Jingxu took out his phone and opened the map of Manchester. "Our hotel is located on the west side of Manchester. According to the recent radio communication, the suspects still need ten minutes to reach the western exit of Manchester. So, if we leave now, we should be able to catch up, unless there’s traffic."

Yis People nodded and started the car, saying, "OK, everyone, please fasten your seatbelts. We’re about to depart."

Ten minutes later, Liu Xing and his team arrived at the western exit of Manchester. According to the information from the walkie-talkie, the two trucks with the bus full of foreign tourists were about to arrive here.

So, Yis People slowed down, while Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa observed the traffic from the rear window.

As it was a workday, there weren’t many vehicles leaving the city.

Soon enough, Liu Xing saw two trucks sandwiching a bus speeding past their group.

Liu Xing also noticed that the passenger in the front truck seemed to be holding a long gun.

Frowning, Liu Xing said, "Be careful. I saw the passenger in the front truck holding a long gun. The specific model is unclear, but it’s likely a rifle. So, Yis People, drive carefully. Don’t rush to the front."

Yis People nodded and followed behind the second truck, saying, "Got it. I won’t take unnecessary risks."

At this moment, Chris spoke through the walkie-talkie, "The suspects’ vehicles have left the city. I’ve arranged a car accident ten kilometers ahead to stop them. Nick and Zhang Bolen, both of you lead your teams to control the western exit. Don’t let any other vehicles leave Manchester. The rest of the teams, prepare for combat. These guys are likely hardened criminals."

Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and said to Yis People, "Liu Xing, you better tell Chris about Ryuusei’s discovery. Let them all be careful. After all, if it comes to a shootout between police handguns and rifles, we’ll be at a disadvantage."

Whether in cop films or in the real world, gunmen with rifles could easily overpower ordinary police officers armed only with handguns.

Yis People nodded, picked up the walkie-talkie, and relayed Liu Xing’s discovery to Chris.

Chris was silent for a moment before saying, "Be even more careful, everyone. If you notice the enemy using rifles, avoid direct confrontation. Wait for backup to arrive. We just need to keep these guys here."

Looking around, Liu Xing saw that five SUVs were trailing behind the trucks, all moving steadily.

It seemed that at least in terms of numbers, they had the advantage... unless there were people inside the trucks as well.

After a while, the front truck finally stopped.

Liu Xing gripped his gun and said, "Let’s wait in the car for now. If a gunfight breaks out, we’ll help, but everyone be careful. If it gets too dangerous, retreat back into the car."

Everyone nodded and began closely monitoring the situation ahead.

At this moment, Chris got out of a nearby car with his men and approached the trucks.

After more than ten minutes, Chris and his men returned, and Chris’s voice came through the walkie-talkie, "I’ve confirmed that the suspects on the trucks are indeed kidnappers, and there are at least two armed robbers on the bus. So, in the next few seconds, we’ll start shooting to blow out the tires of the trucks and the bus, then hold our ground."

After a brief pause, Chris began counting down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven... one!"

As the countdown ended, Liu Xing heard a barrage of gunfire and the sound of tires bursting.

Then, gunfire came from the direction of the trucks.

Thus, both sides began a standoff. The robbers couldn’t leave the scene because of the blown-out tires, and if they dared to exit the trucks, they would face a hail of bullets.

As for the police officers, they remained calm, hiding behind vehicles and observing the robbers’ movements. So, when the robbers realized their gunfire had no effect after a round, they gave up wasting bullets.

More than ten minutes passed, and suddenly, Liu Xing heard the sound of helicopter blades approaching.

Liu Xing leaned out to see three helicopters with police markings flying towards them.

Of course, at the same time, more than ten police cars arrived, and a group of officers with submachine guns disembarked.

The situation was now under control.

Liu Xing knew the robbers were trapped and couldn’t escape unless they were all mythical creatures.

At this point, negotiators began to approach the robbers.

Liu Xing stretched and said, "It looks like we just came here to go through the motions this time. But unless something unexpected happens, these robbers aren’t the ones we’re looking for. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been caught so easily."

Ling Ishikawa nodded, smiling, "Exactly. I’m sure these robbers are just ordinary people, and their goal should be to kidnap these foreign tourists, then blame all the previous kidnappings on themselves to demand higher ransom and gain more profit."

Ling Ishikawa’s analysis was logical and well-founded.

After a while, Liu Xing saw that all the robbers had been apprehended. After all, they were now in a tight spot and couldn’t escape unless they had wings.

At this point, the crisis had passed, and Liu Xing’s group could finally relax.

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